New Discourses

New Discourses was a work of literature composed by the upper-class Han philosopher Huan Tan about 20 CE. The text includes a section on the technology of the time, being:

''Fuxi invented the pestle and the mortar. Later on, the pestle and the mortar were cleverly improved in such a way that the whole weight of the body could be used, thus increasing the efficiency ten times. In time, the pover of animals - donkeys, mules, oxen, and horses - was added. Later, water power was also applied, and the benefit was increased a hundredfold.''

This excerpt from the tome describes a semi-mythological interpretation of the advances of technology in Chinese society, as Fuxi was a mythological wise emperor who was said to have been a god. Starting off with the invention of the mortar and pestle grinder, Chinese technology advances to animal husbandry and the use of water power, which was a drastic change in technology.